Retro-Style Christmas Stocking Sewing Pattern & Tutorial.

I’m so excited about the family Christmas we have planned for this year! My Mom, Grandma, my two brothers, myself and all of our respective families are planning to gather at my next youngest brother’s and sister in law’s home for a (hopefully) white Christmas in Utah. We have all sorts of fun activities planned – and will be able to visit the newest member of our clan, expected in early December. There will be much baby bouncing, good natured arguments, long shared jokes and laughter.

All the festivities will be capped off by a stocking stuffer exchange. I’m making the stockings and the rest of the family are hard at work on the treasures that will fill them. The pattern for this Christmas stocking is really quite basic and truthfully, there’s not anything inherently retro about it except for the fabrics I chose to work with. I’ve completed 9 of the 16 stockings we’ll need and I’ve tried to stay with a retro theme.

Note: To ensure you are printing to proper scale, print using Page Scaling set to “None” and make sure “Auto-Rotate and Center” is unchecked. I also used “borderless printing”.

Once your pattern has printed on page 2 and 3, overlap the bold outer lines – make sure you are not overlapping the letters – of the Top of Stocking and tape them together. If the pattern printed correctly, you should have a square that measures 7 & 7/8 inches wide by 10 inches high. If your measurements are correct, let’s assemble the rest of the pattern in the same manner – matching the bold outer lines. You will have 3 pieces of paper on the top row and 2 pieces on the bottom row. Alternately, you can cut all of the pieces out and then tape them together.

Fold your fabric so that right sides are together. I, personally, trace my pattern onto my fabric using disappearing ink so that I don’t ruin my pattern if my scissors become a little reckless. You will be cutting through 2 layers for the stocking body and you will be cutting through 2 layers on the top of the stocking. With the top of the stocking, you will be cutting on the fold.

Sew around the body of the stocking with a 1/4″ seam allowance. Leave the top of the stocking unsewn and unfinished.

Clip notches into all of the inside curves and trim seam allowance to 1/8″. Turn right side out, press and set aside.

Sew the short raw edge of your top stocking piece. If using a sewing machine, open the seam and press. If using a serger, press the seam to one side.

Fold your Top of Stocking half way down so that raw edges meet.

Insert the raw edge of the stocking body into the circular opening of the stocking top. Match up raw ends. Pin the raw edges of the stocking body to the raw edges of the stocking top.

The next step is the only step that I prefer to use my serger over my sewing machine. This next seam is easily seen when looking into the stocking so I like the nice finished edge the serger gives. Of course, you could do some type of french seam here with a sewing machine to make a nice finished edge as well. Me? I’m far too lazy for that!

Now unfold the top of your stocking and then fold it back down again so that there is about 4″ of stocking top seen.

Next, fold your ribbon into a cancer awareness look-a-like ribbon and place your button in the middle of where the two pieces of ribbon meet. Sew a few stitches through the button and ribbon itself. You can then affix it through all layers of the stocking top at the back seam. I’m planning for a very heavy stocking this year so I’ll be sure to put in a few extra stitches to accommodate all that weight.

These work up super fast and are quite easy. If you like these full size stockings, try these mini versions as well!

Have fun stitching these up and please post pictures! I need some inspiration and motivation to make 7 more of these! ♥

Fine Print: We are absolutely flattered that our crafty friends would want to make cute items from our original copyright patterns to sell in their online shops or brick and mortar stores. We are thrilled to grant that permission. We do, however, request that anywhere the item is for sale, (on each and every online listing OR on each item in your brick and mortar store that a Simply Notable pattern has been used), that you link back to us here at Simply Notable so others can enjoy the same free pattern you utilized. When you sprinkle the Simply Notable love back our way in the form of links, it lets us know how much you appreciate the free patterns we’ve shared. The only hard line we draw here at Simply Notable is that the free patterns themselves absolutely cannot be sold.

Did you use flannel or cotton? I am going to make some for my family this year. I am tired of the ones we have. They aren’t NEAR cool enough! Mine are going to be gingerbread men themed. I will post some pics if you want when they are done. You can take some credit for them, because I will be using this pattern.

I just found this last night, and today I found the fabric and made 2 of them… for my 2 dogs. I’ve been looking for stockings for my dogs for a while now, but couldn’t find any that were cute and affordable. I thought it was great to stumble across this so I could make my own! It took me about 2 hours start to finish to make both, and it only cost me $7.50! Wonderful idea, thank you for sharing! 🙂

So glad you liked it, Kristin! We’d love to see pictures of your stocking on our facebook page if you’d like to share. I’m especially curious about how they look quilted. I’m betting they hold their shape nicely when quilted. Great idea!

I am a very, very beginner sewer….I’ve had this pattern “pinned” on Pinterest for ages and finally bought the fabric last week! However, I’m stuck on the directions in the middle. I don’t know if I’m just being dense, but I can’t figure out how to insert and sew on the top cuff. Could you explain a little further? Thanks!

Hi Laura,
Absolutely! Assuming you have already sewn the raw edges of the top of the stocking together, you are going to open it up so it forms a ring and fold the wrong sides together so the ring is half as tall and the right side of your fabric is showing both on the inside and outside of the ring. Now you are going to slip the folded edge of the top over the top of your stocking so that the raw edges of your stocking and the raw edges of the top of the stocking meet and the seam of the top of your stocking is aligned with the back seam of the stocking. Hopefully that helps a little more!

Starting in the middle of the paragraph above with “now”. I think that after you sew the raw edges together, you fold half of the trim to the inside so that the top edge is finished looking. But I can’t figure out what to do next. Thanks!

Bethany – thanks so much for pointing that out! I must have reversed those measurements in my first edit. It should be correct now. Luckily I had that ruler in my first image so hopefully most, like yourself, picked up on that! Thanks again!

Such cute stockings Lulu! Thanks so much for sharing your pretty new stockings! So glad your girls like them – even if the color didn’t initially suit your little one. Her reaction is just precious though!

Used your pattern to make stockings for my two little girls, and I’ll make another one after the Christmas craziness is over (for the next little one due in March). I had some Christmas-themed flannel that someone had given me, and found ribbon and buttons I already had so it cost me nothing out of pocket!! (Well, right now anyway…) It was really easy to follow your tutorial–thanks!

Thank you!
Our family Christmas activities this year will include “decorate your own stocking” – I couldn’t find any ready-made stockings that I liked, and thankfully your template came up in my search for a pattern! So far I have made 14 – your instructions are easy to follow, and the stockings look great.
Thanks again… and Merry Christmas 2012!

I’m wondering about possibly piecing a few cute pieces of fabric for the front of the stocking, should I piece my fabrics together then cut out the stocking shape afterwards?

I’m also thinking of lining the inside so that you don’t see the wrong side of the fabrics inside. I’m assuming I just sandwich the pieces together (the outside fabrics with WS facing, then RS of the lining fabric sandwiched on the outsides?)

I’m also wanting to do a French seam for the cuff but can’t figure it out mentally until I get to that point in the project! Thanks for the help in advance!

Hi Ericka,
Yes, I’d definitely piece the fabric together prior to cutting out the stocking.

Because you want to line it, I think you can get away without doing the french seam by making the outer stocking and the inner stocking separately. When cutting out the lining, I’d increase the height of the pattern about 1/2 inch. Sew the outer stocking and attach the cuff. Then sew the lining and hem the top of the lining with about a 1/2″ hem. Insert the lining into the stocking (wrong sides together) and hand sew or machine sew the lining to the inside just above the cuff seam so that it’s hidden. Hopefully that makes sense?

Needed to make a stocking for my daughter’s boyfriend and found your post from last year, last night. Adapted your pattern just a tad as I wanted a lining in the stocking. It turned out super cute and then I made a matching one for my daughter to have as well.

Thank you for this pattern! The shape is perfect. I made these for my kids this Christmas, and they turned out so cute! I used lightweight cotton plus a lining and then did as Rachel said (above) and put the cuff inside before sewing, so I could turn it right side out and the edges were hidden. I couldn’t be happier with how they turned out. Thank you, thank you!

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